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Don’t Share

Sharing prescription drugs with family or friends, even when you intend to help them, is a dangerous misuse that could cause serious consequences.

Taking a prescription drug that was not prescribed to you is considered prescription drug misuse. Prescription drug misuse also includes using a drug that was prescribed to you in greater amounts, more often, over a longer period of time, or in any other way not directed by a doctor.

Young Adults Are Most Impacted

More than any other age group, 18-25 year olds misuse prescription drugs and share them with friends.

If you are a young adult, you and your friends are more likely than any other age group to misuse opioid pain relievers, ADHD stimulants and anti-anxiety drugs.1 Your age group is also more likely to share medication than any other age group.2

Even though it may seem harmless to share prescription drugs with a friend or family member, doing so involves many risks with potentially dangerous consequences.

It’s Illegal: Federal and state law prohibits the sharing of prescription drugs that are controlled substances. Controlled substances include opioids (like Percocet), stimulants (like Adderall), and benzodiazepines (like Xanax).

Different doses: Drugs are prescribed in different dosages with different instructions based on the individual. So even if a person has a prescription for the drug you planned to share with them, their doctor may have them on a different dose or medication schedule.3

Serious side effects: All medications have side effects, which doctors take into consideration when they choose a certain medicine for their patient. Medications will have different results on each individual, based on their health needs and how they interact (potentially badly) with other medicines.3

Drug safety: When you take medicine from someone else, you can’t always confirm its safety or ingredients.3 Be aware that some drugs have been illegally pressed into pills to make them look safer. If you didn’t get a pill from a pharmacy or your doctor, you can’t be confident that it is what you think it is.

Potential for addiction: Taking medications in any way that a doctor didn’t prescribe can lead to physical dependence and drug addiction. Some people are more susceptible to addiction than others, but anyone can become addicted.

Connection to other drug use: Misusing prescription opioids like Percocet or OxyContin has been linked with eventual heroin use, which can lead to many problems with your health and with the legal system. By only taking drugs prescribed to you, you can help break the connection between prescription painkiller misuse and heroin addiction.

If you have refrigerated medications keep them in a lockable box away from food items.

Safely dispose of your prescription drugs when they are no longer needed.

If you have medications that are expired or leftover from a prescription, it is important that you properly dispose of these medications in a safe way.

The best option for safely disposing of prescription drugs are drug takeback boxes and events. There are secure drop boxes located throughout Pennsylvania. Find a drug takeback box near you.

If a drug takeback box or event is not available, visit the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines webpage for instructions on how to safely dispose of prescription drugs at home.

How To Get Help

Concerned about your own, a friend’s or family member’s drug or alcohol use?

Reach out for help. Anyone can become addicted and, like other chronic diseases, addiction can be managed. Treatment for substance use disorders is effective and recovery is possible.

Find Help: To find out more about available treatment options and other resources and support, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit our help page for more information.

Learn More: There are over 20 million Americans in recovery from addiction, including many young adults. Not sure what recovery looks like for a young person? Check out Young People in Recovery online and follow them on social media.

Options for Support: If you or a friend is struggling with prescription drug misuse or addiction, know that there are online and face-to-face options for support. Some of these are:

Collegiate Recovery Programs: A growing number of colleges and universities offer support for students in recovery.

12-Step Groups: Local 12-step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are always completely free. Some meetings have lots of young people.

Non-12-Step Support: There are a multitude of other support groups in addition to 12-step, including SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, LifeRing, and Women for Sobriety.

Blogs, Hashtags, and Mobile Apps: The internet is full of information, support, and connection. Subscribe to recovery blogs, follow recovery hashtags like #recoveroutloud, and search “addiction” and “recovery” in the app store to find apps like Sober Grid, SoberTool, and others.

FAQ

Why should I be concerned about prescription drug misuse?

As a young adult you face some of the most stressful changes of your life, often more than one at a time.

Some examples of these include:

Leaving high school

Starting/Finishing College

Starting a new job

Moving somewhere new

While these transitions can be exciting, they can also affect your mental health. In recent years, young adults have become the leaders among all age groups for their rates of mental illness.4

Mental illness is a risk factor for addiction, and over a quarter of young adults with mental illness also have a substance use disorder. Young adults with mental health disorders suffer higher rates of addiction than any other age group.4

What do I do if a friend asks for some of my prescription medication?

Try and avoid being around someone who is asking for you to share your prescription medication. If this is not possible follow these steps.

Ask why they need the medication

Explain the facts about prescription drugs, and how they are prescribed to you ONLY by a doctor.

Tell your friend that it is illegal to share prescription medications.

List some of the consequences. “It’s illegal.” “You could get addicted.”

Suggest they see a doctor if they are experiencing pain or are having problems concentrating.

Help them get information they need for a doctor or to seek help for a possible addiction.

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Thank you for your interest and support of PA Stop: The Commonwealth Prevention Alliance Campaign to Stop Opiate Abuse. If you have any questions, or need information about the campaign or opiate treatment, prevention, education, or recovery options in your area, please submit your name and email address below and someone from CPA will contact you.